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The Wars and Non-Wars

Last year, Scott asked the poll question “how many wars is the US fighting?” Twice. I thought about this over the weekend when Melissa Harris-Perry spoke about avoiding titles like “the war on women” and “the war against the poor.” Her first point was very well taken: for anyone who has lived in an actual war zone, with bombs dropping and people dying, “war” means something very different then the rest of us saying “the war on drugs.”

Harris-Perry's second point was equally well taken: that when we say “war” we tend to miss the nuance of what is really going on. What the Republicans are attempting to wreak on women (and unions, and the poor, and voters, the list goes on…) is horrendous. We all know that. But it isn't war, undeclared or otherwise. Saying it is changes the stakes, and misses all the details.

I'm guilty of this, although I'm going to work towards stopping. Instead of saying “the GOP has declared war on me and all the other women”, I'm going to say something like: GOP talking heads just plain lie. And then give this example, where Alex Castellanos said:

“Actually, because for example, men work an average of 44 hours a week, women work 41 hours a week,” he said. “Men go into professions like engineering, science and math that earn more. Women want more flexibility.”

Flexibility? Really? No, Alex, it's that we want the same dollar-per-dollar paycheck for hours worked. When Tom Corbett says to just close your eyes, I'm going to ask which orifice he wants that 10″ probe stuck into. And I don't care which one he picks.

War? I'm saving that for the potential issues in Iran and North Korea, and all the countries bleeding in Africa, as well as Afghanistan and Syria and other places where the bleeding needs to stop.

Think about it…and for someone who gets his terms correct, and does it with aplomb and humour, I leave you with this, in case you missed it…